Tossed Bat Hits Ball Four

[Manny A]

Different Juco game, and I have the plate. This didn't actually happen, but it came damn close.

Runner at second base. Pitch is in the dirt, and bounces off the catcher, going up in the air behind the right-handed batter, for Ball Four. Runner takes off for third and F2 goes over to retrieve the ball and make a play on her. The batter, meanwhile, immediately tosses her bat behind her towards the dugout on the third base side, and just missed hitting the ball that was still airborne.

If she had hit the ball, what's the call? I looked under NCAA rule 12.2, and could not really find anything that covers this situation. There is a reference under A.R. 12.2.3 to the batter-runner unintentionally kicking a dropped third strike that deflected off the catcher, with a ruling of Live Ball, no interference. But this was a loose pitch after Ball Four, and it would have been a tossed bat, not a kick, that contacted the ball.

I probably would have ruled Interference, since the tossed bat would have prevented F2 from getting the ball and making a play on R1 going to third. But I'm not sure which rule would back that.